A Dangerous Game
by badboysam
Summary: Sam heads to LA to visit an old friend from High School. But is there more to their relationship than first meets the eye? Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
1. Chapter 1

Sam knocked hard on the apartment door and was surprised when it was opened almost immediately by a short Asian girl with hazel eyes. She looked up at him in confused expectation so he shot her his most charming smile and offered his hand. "Hi! I'm Sam! Is Mercedes here?"

She frowned and looked even more confused. "Er- no she's out actually… on a date."

Choosing to ignore the final word, Sam shrugged and smiled brightly. "That's okay. I'll just leave my stuff in her room." He stood, staring at the girl, waiting for her to let him in. "So you must be Mai, Mercedes' roommate. Am I right? I've heard a lot about you!"

"Really? Because Mercedes hasn't said a thing about you!"

Sam's smile faltered a little and he started to wonder if maybe this girl wasn't going to let him in after all. "Um… so are you actually going to let me in? I know I'm a day early but…"

Mai stared at him hard for a moment, before deciding that maybe he didn't look like he was going to murder her while she slept and stepped aside so that he could enter the small apartment. She closed the door with a frown. "You know up until I opened the door I had assumed that Sam was a girl."

"A girl?"

"Yeah. Cedes said she had an old friend from Ohio coming to stay the weekend and I thought nothing of it. We've had Quinn here and Tina so I just assumed you were another one of her gang."

Sam frowned. All the months that Mercedes had lived here in LA she had never spoken about him to her roommate? Well things were about to be shaken up a little!

He dropped his bag to the floor and held out his hand for her to take. "Well I guess I'd better introduce myself properly. Hi, I'm Sam Evans, originally from Tennessee, currently living in Lima, Ohio and Mercedes' _ex_-boyfriend."

It amuzed him to see the change in Mai's reaction when she heard that he was Mercedes' ex. She looked at him again but this time she _really _looked, taking in his height, hair and toned body. Clearly he was not what she had been expecting. And somehow that unnerved him. What kind of guy was Mercedes currently on a date with? And how come he didn't know about it? He had come a day early because he had wanted to see her, not to end up finding out that she was already involved with dating some shithead.

Mai was still standing looking at him, clearly at a loss for what to do next. He decided to put her out of her misery. "Look, its Friday night. Don't you guys all go and hang out at that bar. Jacksons or something I think it's called?"

Without meaning to, Mai nodded her head, giving Sam the information that he needed. He was quick to put the smile back on. "So how about I join you? It'll be really nice to meet more of her LA friends. I know you and your boyfriend Tony usually go and meet her there. Maybe I can hang out with you guys!"

The petite girl's eyes widened with fear. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea-"

"It'll be fine, I promise."

"No- I mean-"

Sam sighed. "Look, why don't you just call her, tell her I'm here and tell her I'm coming. I promise you she won't mind."

"But she'll be half way through dinner right now-"

"Again, I promise you she won't mind! Look, I'm hot and sticky from my flight so I'm going to have to use your shower and freshen up. Then I'm going to sleep for an hour. I figure by the time I'm done you should have spoken to Cedes, got dressed and ready to go!"

With a quick wink to the stunned girl he carried his bag into Mercedes bedroom while whistling the theme to Spiderman.

By the time he was rested and freshened up he could tell that Mai was nearly ready to go. He knew he looked good, having slicked his hair slightly and teaming it up with the lethal combo which his snugly fitting jeans and a green smedium shirt. He sat down on the couch, leaning back with his legs wide apart like he owned the place watching Mai as she moved around collecting her last few bits in preparation to go out. "So I take it you spoke to Cedes?"

"Yeah. She says its fine for you to come but you should have texted to say that you were coming early so that she would have given me the heads up."

"Ah well, we've had our introductions now."

"Yeah, I guess we did. But there's just one thing" She continued to eye him with suspicion. "I'll probably be sleeping over at Tony's tonight…"

"…Like you do most weekends…"

She glared at him for being so knowledgeable. "… Like I do most weekends. It's just that I noticed you put your bags in Cede's room. But you're on the couch tonight, right?"

Sam grinned and stroked the leather couch with the palm of his hand while staring straight into Mai's eyes. "Me, the couch, tonight, most _definitely!_"

She knew it was the correct answer but something about it just didn't feel right. It would be several hours before Mai realized that all his speak of the couch did not once mention the word sleep…

* * *

Sam liked Tony. The tall Asian guy was funny and reminded him of a less bright version of Mike Chang. Within minutes the guy had asked why he and Mercedes had broken up and he had said it was because he realized that he was gay. Even though it was a joke there was every chance that Tony had actually believed him. And Sam hadn't quite taken the time out to put him straight.

Mercedes' friends had a booth which they sat in every week. When the three of them arrived there were already two people there. Mai made the introduction "Sam this is Evan and Claire. They're twins and they're signed to the same record label as Mercedes." Sam shook their hands warmly. "I'm really pleased to meet you." Claire and Evan looked similar even though they weren't identical. Both had the whole blond hair blue eyed All-American look, and Claire was tall just like her brother, at least 5 foot 8 while her brother stood at least 6 foot. Claire kept smiling at him and he was more than happy to return the smiles.

"So what kind of music do you guys do Claire?"

She shot him a huge smile. "Country."

"Really? Well I just so happen to come from Nashville…" The next half hour was spent in pleasant conversation with them while Mai and Tony made out at the table. Next to arrive was Jayda. She was a very pretty, light skinned black girl with long braids down to her waist. She seemed pleasant enough but spent the whole time texting on her phone. She wasn't a singer herself but worked behind the scenes with the sound equipment at the studio.

Finally, after about an age he saw her making her way over to the booth. She looked stunning. Her hair was full and in big soft curls, her curves were hugged by a red wraparound dress, similar to the one she's worn in the disco inferno video and the patent red heels she was wearing were positively sinful.

"Sam! Wow it's been ages! How have you been?"

Mai and Tony slid out of the booth so that Sam could come out and hug her properly. She smelled amazing and just touching her soft body made him instantly hard. "I've been good thanks. "

"So are you going to introduce me?"

"Of course!" She stepped back with a smile. "Sam this is Cole. Cole, Sam is an old friend of mine from high school."

"Pleased to meet you." Sam held out his hand and the other man took it.

"Likewise." Sam looked back at Mercedes. Of all the guys that he had imagined Mercedes being with, Cole was not one of them. For a start he was much older, at least in his mid-thirties with hair graying at the temples. His skin was olive, making him look possibly middle-eastern and there were definite laughter lines around his eyes. The guy was even wearing a suit. And the suit looked expensive.

Plus Sam resented the hell out of him for having his arm draped lazily over Mercedes' shoulder the whole time.

"So how is everyone in Lima?"

"They're good. Emma Schuester just had another baby, a girl this time. They called her Rachel."

Mercedes chuckled ironically. "That figures! And how's Lucy?"

Sam looked down at his hands. "Lucy and I broke up a while back. I'm with Nina now."

"Nina?" She frowned "You mean Nina from the record store?"

"The one and only!"

"Well I guess you have managed to surprise me Sam. I hope it's going well."

"It is."

Sam's phone began to buzz. "Sorry guys, I have to take this call so I'll just head outside where it's quieter."

They all watched him head out of the front door with the cell attached to his ear. But only Mercedes saw him sneak back in moments later and head towards the bathrooms. Five minutes later she excused herself to go to the bathroom. Before she could make it through the door a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into a side room. It was dark and she was pressed up against a wall but she didn't need to know who it was. His lips on hers were like crack and she moaned as he worked on her bottom lip until she let his tongue in.

"Shit!" The kiss had been brief but full of passion. He couldn't kiss her again because their swollen lips would be a complete giveaway, but he could still touch her.

"Oh Sam…" He wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her into the wall, his fingers trailing over her breasts, her thighs and finally under her dress.

"Missed me?" He began to grind himself up against her already wet core.

"Not much!" She grinned because she knew that answer would piss him off. She was not wrong.

"So the old guy knows how to dick you down does he? Does he know what makes you feel good?" Sam replaced the grinding of his hips with his hand to roughly rub at her pantie clad pussy. She groaned and tilted her head back in pleasure. "Does he?"

She brought her head back forward and looked him straight in the eye. "Yes!"

Sam growled, pushing the tiny thong to the side and immediately shoving his middle finger inside of her, grinning as she purred with pleasure. "Are you sure?"

She may have been unable to speak but she was still able to nod.

"Still sure?" He added a second finger and worked them and out of her wetness rapidly. "What's that? I can't hear you?" He could feel her body beginning to tremble as he continued to pump his fingers. "Oh I see what you're playing at today Cedes. _I see you!"_

He slid down her body, his hands sliding over her hips and peeling her thong down with them. She moved her hips away from the wall to allow him to remove the offending item, stepping out of it when he reached the bottom of her legs. Feeling him kiss the inside of her leg she spread them further to allow him to work his way back up and finish what he started. But he didn't. He fucking straightened up and smiled. "You'd better get back before your super-hot old man boyfriend starts missing you.

She glared at him. "Fuck you!"

He grinned slyly. "All in good time. Remember, patience is a virtue!"

He loved making her all hot and bothered before walking away. Today was no exception. Except today had the added bonus of him feeling her eyes on his back while he shoved her damp panties into his back pocket as he walked away.

By the time she had calmed herself and returned to their booth, Sam was involved in a deep yet animated 'so what do you do' conversation with Cole.

She sat back down with feeling self-conscious without her panties and pressing her thighs together to fight the arousal which was refusing to go away. Sam did this every time and she wasn't going to fall again. She waited patiently for a brief gap in Sam's conversation before mouthing the two words that she knew he was dying to hear.

_Game on!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**To those who have been asking about my other fic I'm Back! the answer is that I am still working on it. It's just that the last chapter was pretty intense and i'm struggling with how to follow it. I know where I want to go but i'm still not 100% on how to get there. **_

_**And this two parter has now become a three parter. Sorry!**_

* * *

Mercedes sat in silence as she watched Sam and Cole chatting happily with each other. She wanted to join in with the conversation but couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she watched intently as the two men interacted. Sam was gorgeous as ever and his full lips were constantly pulling into his winning smile. Every once in a while he would draw Claire into the conversation. Was he flirting with her? She couldn't quite tell. Even if he was, he would be barking up the wrong tree. The only reason Claire had come with her brother tonight was because her girlfriend was currently away on business.

Sam did this to her every time. He would pitch up and charm her friends. And then she would feel obligated to make new ones once he had tainted them. That's what had happened the last time she had lived in LA. This was her third attempt to make a home here and she was determined to make it work. The first was after graduation. She had worked as a backing singer on a record label while Sam finished high school. It had been hard. The summer before she had left they'd spent every moment they could together creating carnal memories that were firmly seared into her brain. They knew that it was never going to work long distance. They knew that they would have to break up when she moved away. But until that point they intended to, and did, make the most of their relationship. And at the end they kissed one last time and set each other free, promising to remain friends.

Sam had been the first to move on. He had some hot new duet partner in the Glee club and in his own words, 'one thing led to another.' The boy was horny as fuck and the girl was pretty so she couldn't really blame him.

She had taken a little longer, finally hooking up with someone at a party on the day they finished the album. It wasn't even a great fuck and she never saw the guy again. Nobody knew that the moment she left the bathroom after their encounter she had thrown up into a trashcan outside and cried for three days straight.

That was six years ago. Mercedes had become more of a rolling stone since then, going wherever the work took her. For the first four years she roamed California, living in San Francisco, San Diego, Stockton and even a short stint in San Jose before returning to LA. She and Sam did maintain their friendship but was hard. They innocently kept up with each other on Facebook, but Sam kept insisting on coming to visit. And whenever he did they would end up in her bed. Whenever she went to visit her parents in Lima she would end up in his bed. The last time she was there she had outrightly lied to her parents saying that she was just down for the weekend. She had actually spent three days holed up in a hotel room with Sam having endless and vigorous sex until an embarrassed hotel manager had had to speak to them due to complaints about the noise. Sam had then driven her back to the airport for her parents to 'collect' for their 'weekend'. She had blamed her physical discomfort that weekend on a urinary infection and they seemed to believe it.

They were both free to date other people but when they did but it never lasted long. The longest relationship Mercedes had was on her second stay in LA. She'd found a great girl to apartment share with called Caitlin and a hot boyfriend called Joe. Then Sam had turned up. This time he hadn't even said he was visiting. He just called from the airport to say that he was there. But this time she was determined to be strong. Joe was a good guy. And she genuinely cared about him. Obviously she didn't feel the same way about him as she had with Sam but there was definitely something there. Something enough that for the very first time she was able to resist Sam's advances. The expression of hurt on Sam's face still haunted her to this day. She should have left it there but she didn't. She'd rubbed his nose in it, being all touchy feely with Joe in front of him and teasing him for his then lack of a girlfriend. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right but it was her way of protecting herself. Caitlin had tried to tell her that she was being unfair to him but she refused to listen. Sam would be leaving soon and she was finally over him.

_That night she had woken up to sounds coming from Caitlin's room. She had left the club early with Joe and they had come back to have sex before he headed home. She assumed that Caitlin had met someone at the club after she had left and brought him back. Despite herself she found herself listening as giggles became murmurs, murmurs became groans, groans became grunts and gasps. Her fingers had slid their way between her legs as she relived her time with Joe just a couple of hours before._

_"Oh yeah… FUCK!"_

_Her hand froze mid stroke as she heard the voice. It was muffled through the wall but there was no doubting Sam's deep Southern sex voice. She had no reason to be angry. Sam was free to fuck whoever he liked. She had a boyfriend who satisfied her so it was none of her business. Yet there was a difference between knowing Sam fucked other girls and actually hearing it. Especially when it was with someone she knew. Someone she knew just the other side of a thin wall! She turned over in frustration and pulled a pillow over her ears but it made no difference. She was angry, turned on and now her hips were moving against the bed, rubbing her clit against the mattress. It felt so wrong and yet she found she couldn't help thrusting her hips onto the bed in time to the rhythmic thumping that was coming from the next room wishing that is was her that Sam was fucking in there. Soon the friction wasn't enough so she slipped one of the pillows between her legs and raised her right knee to open herself up and create a better angle. It would still take her a while to get off like this without her fingers but Sam Evans wasn't a man to rush things in the bedroom so she knew she had plenty of time._

_She finally came with a whimper, her face buried in the comforter._

_Even before her breathing returned to normal she knew what she had to do. Within an hour her bags were packed. There was no way she would be able to look Sam or Caitlin in the face after this._

_It was Sam who saw the note first while attempting to sneak out of the apartment before Caitlin or Mercedes woke up. At first he didn't believe that she was gone on the first plane out of State. Then he'd seen the check on the table for 2 months rent and his legs gave way as he realized she truly was gone for good. _

"Earth to Mercedes!"

"Wh-what?" She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by Cole's smiling voice.

"You were totally zoned out for a moment there babe. I was asking what you wanted to drink. I'm getting the next round."

"Oh. Sorry! I'll have the same again thanks." For the life of her she couldn't even remember what she had been drinking.

She ignored the fact that Claire was staring intently at her as she gathered her thoughts then slid out of the booth to let Cole out.

_Snap out of it Mercedes! It took a whole year but you and Sam did patch things up. _And now he was back to being an arrogant little shit.

The second she slid next to him after Cole had left she felt him place his hand on her knee, gently stroking the inside of her thigh, his face totally impassive as he continued to talk to Claire.

_Two can play at this game! _She immediately grabbed him mid-thigh under the table and squeezed hard. Credit where credit was due the guy didn't even blink.

"So Claire, do you have a boyfriend?" he breathed.

"Nope." Mercedes rolled her eyes. Sam had the wrong question and would probably never figure it out.

"So you're into girls then?" _Damn him!_

The blond girl smiled. "You could say that!"

"I knew it!"

"Why? Because I wouldn't fall for your flirting?"

"I wasn't flirting!"

"I should hope not. Because I clearly heard you say that you were taken earlier." She said the words lightly but her eyes were trained on Mercedes as she said them.

For the first time Sam shifted in his seat, feeling that Claire could somehow see right to the core of him. He wondered if she had somehow worked out what he and Mercedes had been doing outside. "So have you and Mercedes been friends long?" He had to ask a question to cut the tension that had suddenly built up.

"Not really. Our musical genres are very different so we only got to know each other recently at a work event. We've only hung out a couple of times before today. But I like to think I'm a good judge of character and I don't like to be proved wrong. Mercedes just like the rest of us isn't perfect, but she is an awesome person."

"I don't disagree. That's why we've been friends for so many years." As he said the word 'friends' his hand stroked the inside of her thigh and moved fractionally higher. "And Cole seems to think so too."

Mercedes' breath hitched at the mention of her man and she stared hard at her empty glass for a second before recovering herself and smiling. "Yeah he is. That's why I knew that you guys would get along just fine!" She felt Sam's hand move higher and immediately felt the need to change the subject "So are you guys coming clubbing with us afterwards?"

"I'm not sure. I'll see what Evan wants to do." She paused for a moment then addressed Sam. "So where are you staying while you're here?"

"I'm crashing at Cedes' place."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Mercedes smiled brightly and Sam quietly choked as she palmed her bulge in his jeans under the table. "Yeah it's fine. I'm spending the night at Cole's and Mai will be at Tony's so he'll have the place all to himself!"

Sam's ears reddened slightly. This was not what he had planned. "But Cedes, I thought we were going to sit up in our pajamas drinking cocoa and reminiscing about the good old days!"

She squeezed tighter and looked him in the eye. "No Sam. I think you're confusing yourself with Kurt."

Claire raised an eyebrow. It was almost as if she knew what they were doing under the table. "And Kurt is?"

"As gay as gay can be! He went to school with us." Sam inched his hand up higher underneath her dress and then turned to face her, putting on hurt expression. "But I really thought that we would have more time together!"

"We'll do lunch together tomorrow. Cole can't spend and time with me this weekend."

"That's his loss. Anyone with a girlfriend as hot as you should be making the time!"

"Oh please. You're the lousiest boyfriend ever! If my boyfriend travelled the length of the country to visit some girl he used to know I wouldn't be happy!"

"Aw come on! You know it's not like that. We go way back and you're practically married!"

Mercedes couldn't hide her shock at that statement. She knew for a fact that Sam didn't know about Cole until he had arrived today and had caught him up in conversation which meant that he had seen very little of their interactions. Plus the thought of being married to Cole should have made her happy. But it didn't. It was having the opposite effect. She tried to think of a smart reply but failed, opting to up the torture on his restrained cock before turning back to Claire. "What do you think? Would you be jealous if you were Sam's girlfriend and he went off to visit some other girl?"

Sam silently growled as she unzipped his jeans and felt her way through his boxers, releasing his straining cock.

Claire appeared to think about the question for a moment. "To me it would raise questions about the levels of commitment in the relationship."

Sam let out a frustrated sigh which was a result of more than just the conversation. "Look, we haven't been seeing each other long. There isn't that kind of emotional attachment there yet."

This time Claire shot him the hard look. "But have you fucked her yet?"

He blushed. "I don't see how that's any of your busine-"

"Then there is an emotional attachment. Girls don't just fuck and leave." She shot them both a hard look before saying "Playing with emotions is a dangerous game."

The words hung in the air momentarily. Sam bit his lip and suddenly removed his hand from Mercedes' leg. She instantly missed the feel of it there and pressed her thighs together again. He stared at Claire and said coldly "You don't know shit about my emotions."

Her reply was instant and equally cool. "And neither do you!"

Mercedes looked at them both, confused as to why their tone had suddenly changed. All she knew was that Sam was no longer as turned on as he had been moments before.

"So what did I miss?" The all suddenly jerked their heads towards Cole who had arrived with fresh drinks. Mercedes went to stand and let him sit back next to Sam who was now panicking because she had left his cock hanging out of his jeans and it would be impossible to discreetly put it back but Cole shook his head. "You stay there. I bet you guys have loads to catch up on and I've been holding him captive with my conversation so far this evening."

Sam heaved a sigh of relief as Mercedes slid back down next to him. Things were not going as planned at all! Mercedes was supposed to be falling at his feet right now, but so far he was dealing with a cockblocking boyfriend and a girl who had gone from attractive to insightful, scary and slightly threatening within moments. He took comfort, however, in the memory of what had taken place in the room at the back, together with the fact that Mercedes had been playing with him under the table. Boyfriend be damned, she still wanted him!

Besides. He had made a promise to himself about what was going to happen on that couch in her living room. And he had every fucking intention of following through on it.

"So Sam," Cole broke his thoughts and he welcomed it "Tell us some funny stories about Mercedes in high school!"

Sam laughed. "Yeah. There's a few!" He ignored the death glare that Mercedes shot him and continued speaking. "My personal favorite was the time she smashed some poor guy's car windows because she thought he was cheating on her!" Mercedes' hand was back on his cock but this time the feeling wasn't pleasurable. "But the thing is, not only were they not going out, he also turned out to be gay!"

Cole shot him a surprised look and Mercedes looked like she wanted to die. "Oh my god Sam! You weren't even there at the time!"

"Let me guess, Kurt?" Claire sounded bored but neither Sam nor Mercedes could work out how she figured it out so fast.

"I'm not really jealous like that honey!" Mercedes was quick to reassure Cole who seemed confused by the whole thing. "I was just going through a lot of stuff at the time and released it all the wrong way." Cole nodded but stayed quiet.

Sam felt guilty for creating bad feeling and quickly tried to think of something else. He nudged Mercedes on the arm and grinned "Hey do you remember the Night of Neglect?" he leaned past her and made eye contact with Cole. "She totally went diva on everyone. Made a list of absurd requests then ran out crying to her car minutes before she was supposed to go on stage."

Cole's eyes widened. "Nooooo! Baby tell me you didn't!"

Mercedes grinned and lowered her head before raising her right hand "Guilty as charged. Lauren was doing her best to boost my ego that day and I ended up taking myself a little too seriously."

"But you performed like a true diva. She sung Ain't No Way and I swear everyone in the auditorium had goosebumps!"

"Yeah, all ten people!"

"It didn't matter how many there were. It was amazing. And you looked stunning in that sparkling little black dress with that fluffy _thing_" he wiggled his fingers above his head "in your hair."

She felt his cock twitching in her hand at the memory and she began to stroke it, rendering him momentarily silent.

Cole shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this is the same quiet Mercedes that I know."

"I'm not sure anyone knows the real Mercedes" said Sam, struggling to keep his composure as she swept her thumb across his tip. "She keeps a lot hidden away from people."

Mercedes fought back a smile as he returned his hand to her thigh. "How's Stacy and Stevie?"

"They're good. Stevie is quite the charmer and Stacy has gotten really tall. I'm going to have to get a shotgun for when the boys start coming knocking. They start young these days!"

"Wow! They grow so fast!" She lifted his hand from her thigh and placed it on his cock with hers over it, effectively getting him to stroke himself. She saw his eyes flicker but she pretended that she didn't notice. She had every intention of making him suffer for leaving her frustrated. " I can't believe I used to babysit them and play princesses with Stacy."

Sam let out a small groan which made Claire raise an eyebrow while Cole remained oblivious. But he covered it up well. "Oh, and the current Glee club just came first at sectionals."

Mercedes smiled. "It's good to know the New Directions are keeping the traditions going!"

"Yeah!" Sam didn't think he would be able to speak anymore, not without screaming 'shit' or 'fuck' or 'harder'. She literally had him begging and he would punish her for this later, if only he could get through right now. Luckily relief came in the form of Cole's phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID he quickly frowned and excused himself to take the call.

Everyone else had vanished from the booth and only the three of them remained. Claire shot Sam and Mercedes a look that had Sam utterlu convinced that she knew exactly what was going down under the table. With an annoyed sigh she finally made a move to get up. "Excuse me, I need the bathroom and I need to see where Evan has got to." With one final look back as she slid out of the booth she was gone.

"Merc-"

"Shhhhh! Don't. Make. Noise." Mercedes brought her finger to her lips in a gesture for him to hush before sliding rapidly disappearing under the table.

Before he knew what was happening his hand was moved and replaced by a very wet tongue which was working its way up the thick vein at the bottom of his cock all the way to the tip.

"Fuck!" He all but shouted the word and Mercedes shushed him harshly from underneath the table. If they were going to avoid getting caught he needed to keep his mouth shut. He slid down slightly, spreading his legs wide and giving her more room to maneuver. She responded by taking his tip into her mouth and sucking on it like it was a popsicle while massaging his balls with her hand. Then he groaned quietly to himself as she slid him in and out of her mouth pushing slightly lower down after each withdrawal until he could almost feel the back of her throat before hollowing out her cheeks and sucking him just the way that she knew he liked. He placed one hand on the back of her head under the table and ran the other through his hair. He knew he wouldn't last long which was good because they didn't have long. Any one of their table guests could return at any moment. And if it was Claire there was no saying what she might say or do.

"Oh shit!" he muttered as he felt that familiar feeling, alerting himself to the fact that he was just about to cum. "Gaaah!" He felt himself spurt into her mouth and she caught every drop, milking him try and licking him clean as he softened before pushing him back in his pants and zipping him up.

"Are you okay?"

He didn't realize that he had closed his eyes and now Claire was back and about to slide back into her seat. "Yeah. I was- er- just thinking about something."

"Where's Mercedes?"

"Right here!" Her head popped up from beneath the table and she slid back up into the seat. "I dropped one of my earrings and it took ages to find due to a certain person not helping me." She held out her hand to Claire and showed her the silver hoop which she had thoughtfully remembered to remove before coming up from under the table. "And not only that, his stupid great big foot was right on top of it so it took ages to find!"

Claire opened her mouth to make a comment but was stopped short by the arrival of Cole. He didn't look so good. "I'm sorry guys but I have to leave. My son's been rushed to hospital with stomach pains. They think it might be appendicitis. I have to go to the hospital right now. I'll have to join you for clubbing another time."

That was more than okay for Sam. It meant that Mercedes was going back to her own bed tonight and he was going to join her on it on top of the comforter. And under the sheets. And against the headboard. And maybe even crossways, slightly dangling off the edge of it…

"I'm sorry Mercedes." Cole leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

"It's ok. She needs you. Go be with your family."

Sam shot a questioning look at Claire who mouthed the word 'married' to him. Of all the things he would have expected Mercedes to get involved with, a married man was not one of them!

"I need to freshen up. I'll follow you out." She took off after Cole without even turning round to look at Sam who was still shocked by the latest turn of events. He was about to start pumping Claire for more information when Mai and Tony returned to the booth.

"Where are _they_ going?" Mai asked, jutting her head towards the departing couple.

"Cole's kid is sick so he has to meet his family at the hospital" said Sam nonchalantly, as if he had known about Mercedes' relationship setup all along.

"So does that mean that clubbing is cancelled?"

"Evan wants to go home so we're out and Jayda vanished about an hour ago." said Claire "But Sam and Mercedes are still up for it."

Sam noticed the flicker of annoyance on Mai's face but pretended that he didn't as he listened intently to her whispered conversation with Tony.

Mercedes returned with freshly reapplied lipgloss. "So what's the plan guys?"

"We're going clubbing" said Mai quietly. "Tony and I will meet you there." She pulled her man behind her and they were gone within seconds.

"Well that was rude!" muttered Mercedes. "If they had waited two minutes we could have shared a cab!"

"I don't think they wanted to share" said Sam unhelpfully. He turned to Claire. "It was a pleasure meeting you" he said, knowing that the statement was only 75% truthful.

"Likewise" was her reply.

It didn't take long to hail a cab but Mercedes stiffened as Sam gave the driver her apartment as their destination. "But we're going clubbing! We can't just leave Tony and Mai alone!"

"Yes we can. They haven't gone clubbing. They've gone home to fuck."

"They wouldn't!"

"Well they just did! Why do you think they were so desperate to take their own cab?"

"But I thought-"

"You thought wrong. Besides" he ran his hand back along the inside of her thigh just as he had done earlier before raising his hips and fishing out her panties from his back pocket. Brought the scrap of fabric to his nose and sniffed loudly before grinning at her. "You and me have got some unfinished business of our own to take care of…"

* * *

**_Yes. In my headcannon Sam has a fetish for damp panties._** **_And I refuse to give it up for anyone._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_This chapter wasn't supposed to be so long but it sort of grew into 2 chapters and I've squished them back down into one so that I can focus on my other story again. Thankyou to everybody for the reviews and the alerts and the follows on Tumblr!_**

* * *

As far as Sam was concerned, Mercedes could not get the apartment door open fast enough. They were barely through before he attacked her with his lips and his tongue, grasping handfuls of her soft succulent flesh and groaning in pleasure against her mouth. It was pure greed and he didn't care. There had been one point in the evening when he seriously thought that they wouldn't be ending the night together and it had almost killed him. Every time Mercedes tried to pull away from his lips to speak he just pulled her right back in again. There had been plenty of time for speaking that evening. This time was reserved for something far more intimate.

They hadn't quite made it to the couch. Instead they were pressed up against the wall and his hands were underneath her dress, cupping her bare and plentiful ass and grinding her against him. Finally her eyes widened and she pulled her lips away from his.

"The door-"

Turning his head slightly, he followed his eyes to where the front door remained wide open with light streaming in.

_Ok. I'm on it. _Sam didn't dare let go of Mercedes in case she changed her mind on anything so he kept his hands on her ass and lifted her in his arms as he backed towards the door and kicked it shut before quickly using one hand to lock it before he lost his balance.

"Right! So where were we?"

"The blinds!"

Sam turned to see that the blinds were open, but he wasn't feeling particularly inclined to close them until he felt Mercedes trying to wrestle her way out of his arms.

"Where do you think you're going?" His kiss swollen lips pulled into a grin and he raised his eyebrow inquisitively.

"There's a creepy guy across the way who never seems to go to sleep. I swear he's always watching us and he can see right into this room when we have the light on!"

"Oh really?" A wicked idea was forming in Sam's head. He looked across through the window and saw the flicker of a tv screen through the window of a room across the way. "Then maybe we should actually give him something to look at!"

"Sam you wouldn't-"

He pulled her into another filthy lustful kiss that had her desperately grinding against him for release before dragging her towards a small lamp in the corner and switching it on. It wasn't a bright light but it was enough to set the mood and make them more visible from outside. Then he reluctantly pushed her off him and she stared breathlessly as he pulled the couch into the middle of the room, shivering with excitement and apprehension at the same time. He then sat in the middle of it and beckoned her over. Despite herself she made her way over to him and immediately straddled his lap. She was already beyond the point of being able to resist Sam Evans.

He licked and kissed her hairline behind her ear before whispering "You know the first thing I did when I came in here this afternoon was make the decision that I was going to fuck you on this couch." He ran his hands over her bare ass, again pulling up the fabric of her dress, this time until she was totally exposed from the waist down. She shuddered as he brought one hand forward and swiped it across her sticky dripping slit.

She moaned quietly and it turned him on even more. "It's a shame your guy from across the way can only see us. Coz the sounds you're gonna be making are sexy as fuck!"

"Sam. Please just fuck me!"

"Oh so we're still horny are we?" He pulled back and pushed her away slightly so that they could see each other eye to eye. "We need to have a little chat first baby."

"Chat?" She frowned as he brushed her hand aside as she reached for his belt buckle.

"You and that shithead Cole."

She avoided his gaze and moved instead to kiss his neck. "He's not a shithead."

"He's married and he's fucking you. That makes him a shithead."

"He's separated. They're going to get a divorce."

"He's just saying that to get you to drop your panties."

"You don't know him."

"No. But I know guys like him. They stay separated for years and screw their wives on the regular so they'll never divorce them but at least it means they can also have their little bit on the side."

"I'm not his little bit on the side!"

Sam arched his eyebrow. "Really? You mean you're not in the least bit suspicious when he's constantly cancelling plans with you at the drop of a hat."

_Damn him! _Sam always knew exactly what was going on with her. He could always read her thoughts and see what she was hiding. And she wasn't about to have this conversation right now. Sam was here. And she needed to feel him deep inside her, hitting all the spots that he and only he could reach.

"Did _he _fuck you on this couch?"

She glared at him. "What does it matter?"

"It matters to me!"

She smirked. "Only a couple of times. It was really hot actually!"

He growled before pulling her into another rough kiss to assert his control but she wriggled out of his grip. "Jealous much?"

Of course he was but that wasn't the point. He waited for her to ask about Nina but she didn't. She saw through him. She knew that Nina had been a drunken one off 'scratching an itch' fuck. And a lousy one at that. He squeezed Mercedes' bare ass cheeks before pulling back his hand loudly slapping one of them. "Does he know how you like your ass to be treated baby? Does he tell you that you have the ass of a goddess? Can he handle 'dat ass'?"

This time it was Mercedes who let out the groan. It was like the nerve endings on her ass were connected straight to her pussy and she gasped in pleasure. Cole liked her luscious body but his wife was skinny and he just didn't know how to slap and suck and nibble on her ass the way she liked it. The way Sam did it. Even before they'd had sex for the first time he'd managed to bring her to orgasm by playing with her ass cheeks over her panties while they grinded together through their clothes. That man and his ass obsession would be the end of her!

"Sam just fuck me already!"

He grinned. "As. You. Wish." Within seconds his jeans were undone and his cock was free. As he lifted himself slightly to retrieve a condom from his back pocket he shot a look through the window to see that her neighbor had switched off the TV. Probably to render himself invisible as he watched. Then he saw a brief glint at the bottom of the glass. Binoculars? Nice touch.

"Hey baby?"

"Hmmmm?" Her face was buried in his neck as she worked her way on the two fingers he had inserted into her pussy in preparation for his entry. "I think your voyeur friend has binoculars!"

"_What!_" She immediately stopped moving and jerked her head up. "I am _not_ having that sleaze staring at my ass!"

"Aw babe but it's a beauty!"

She was already pulling her dress back down over her waist. Sam stared at her, disappointed. "I guess we're not going to give him the kind of show that I had hoped for. I was just thinking you could turn round and sit on my cock. And maybe put your feet other side of me on the couch so you're nice and open and he can have the perfect view of my cock slamming up into your pussy over and over again while my hand plays with your clit until you cream me. Hell, from that position you could even give him a little smile and a wave!"

Mercedes shuddered in excitement of fucking Sam in that position, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it in front of that nasty sweaty man. No, they would have to save that for another time. Maybe they could record it on camera for the times they're apart…

"You're thinking about it?"

Her thoughts were broken by Sam's hot breath as he whispered in her ear. "Hell to the no!" Reluctantly she eased herself off his fingers and stood up on her slightly jellified legs.

There was no way that her shyness was going to prevent him to achieve his goal of fucking her into the couch. He sighed. "How about we swap places so all he gets to see is my pale ass instead!"

She smiled at the thought of his pale ass in the moonlight but agreed. "That's my girl!"

He stood up, his erection flapping slightly as it protruded from the opening of his jeans. "I need you to kneel on the couch. That way all he'll see is me."

Mercedes bit her lip, recalling that this was one of her favorite positions as she knelt on the seat of the couch, firmly placing her knees while she gripped tightly onto the headrest. Her pulse quickened as she heard the rip of the condom wrapper. She smiled when she heard him hiss as she twerked her bare butt at him.

It was one step too far for Sam. He didn't bother to remove his jeans. He just pulled them down below his ass so that he was full mooning the window. After putting on the condom he cast one lingering glance at her rounded bent ass and caressed it gently as he thrust into her wet pussy. They both gasped at the same time, her from the sudden feeling of fullness and him from the tightness that he longed for. He bent over her pressing himself onto her back and taking fistfuls of the fabric of her dress as he pulled her close. "Miss me?" he whispered in her ear as he slowly moved inside her.

"Every fucking night!"

And then the beast was unleashed. Putting one knee on the couch next to hers for greater leverage the thrust into her again and again, her cries of pleasure driving him faster and faster. He felt the flesh of her ass ripple as he smacked into it relentlesly, barely catching his own breath. "Like it?"

"Y-yes!"

Sam smiled to himself, knowing that the neighbor must have been getting one hell of a show.

"More?" he breathed.

"Harder!"

Ever eager to please Sam gave her exactly what she wanted. What she needed. What she couldn't get from anyone else but him.

"Yeah! Like that!" At least that's what she thought she said. Sam was going at her so hard she could have been speaking Na'vi for all she knew.

He snarled into her ear. "Does _he_ fuck you like this?"

"Shut up!" He looked at the way she was clutching the headrest for dear life and as the couch began to rock on the floor it occurred to him that they ran the risk of tipping the thing over. She never got it this good from anyone else.

Sam knew that he had won. Which was good because he was already coming. He knew he wouldn't last long after so much time apart but this was really taking the-

"Ugh!" he felt himself coming and bit the skin on her back between her shoulder blades to quiet himself as he continued to pump through the bursts of hot cum that were flying out of him. Luckily Mercedes was already quaking and spasming around him.

A quickie on the couch was not what he'd had planned for their night but as an opener it still felt pretty damn good.

By the time they calmed down and moved to her bedroom the mood was far less frantic. They lingered with their kisses as he allowed her to remove every article of his clothing one by one. She was painfulls slow going about it. By the time they were finished his cock was already rigid for round two. But there was no rush. He removed her dress and laid her crossways along the bed, clad only in her bra. He teased her with wet sloppy kisses on her neck, upper chest and down her sternum before devouring her nipples through the fabric. And when she could take it no more he finally removed it. It may or may not have ripped. He couldn't tell and sure as hell didn't care as he greeted his girls as the old friends that they were, and they were equally as happy to see him.

They fucked for what felt like hours in various positions. Sam lost count of the number of times he made her cum, the number of times he slapped or bit her ass, the number of hickies she left on his abs. She sucked him and his abs and he nibbled and flicked at her clit while first licking her pussy then pounding her g spot with his fingers. At one point she lay on the bed and laughed at him through lidded eyes as he got up to pull the bed slightly away from the wall because of the way the headboard was banging. He fucked her from behind, ass up tits on the comforter. She rode him like a stallion and danced on his pole like a pro. He had her on her back, slightly propped up with pillows and one leg over his shoulder so they could both watch the way her cream gathered around her entrance and smeared the outside of his condom as he slid in and out of her painfully slowly, pushing in deep then withdrawing right to the tip and somethimes comepletely until she had screamed for the torture to end. Sam Evans fucked every thought of Cole out of her head and every memory of him out of her pussy.

And then finally he fucked her while staring into her eyes. She had been on her back with her knees and feet in the air and hands pinned either side of her head while he slammed into her with every remaining ounce of energy that he had left. Something about his expression scared her so she closed her eyes and when he finally released her wrists she clawed at his back until she drew blood as she was blinded during her orgasm and slipped into semiconsciousness.

* * *

Mercedes awoke to the beautiful sight of a naked Sam making his way back to the bed. It was a sight she wouldn't mind waking up to every morning.

"Mornin' beautiful!" He smiled as he slipped in next to her under the sheet.

"Hey yourself." She smiled and touched his nose.

"Well technically it's now afternoon but I guess we just tired ourselves out last night."

Her smile turned into a shy grin. "Yeah I guess we did."

He returned the affectionate touch to her face. "How are you feeling?" he asked in all seriousness. They had been at it pretty hard the night before.

"Pretty sore" she admitted.

"Yeah. Me too. Plus my back looks like a couple of cats went ice skating on it without skates!"

She pulled herself up to look at his back for herself and gasped when she saw the raw red streaks on it. Touching one gingerly she asked "Do they hurt?"

For a moment he didn't respond, lost in the way that her full breasts swung as she moved over him. "Er, no not really. But then i haven't tried putting on a shirt yet!"

She lay back down and pulled the sheet up higher over herself, much to his disappointment. "Well for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He shot her an earth shattering grin. "Don't be. I'm not. I take it as a sign of a job well done. And for what it's worth, I don't feel sorry that you're sore. What's the point of fucking if you don't feel like you've been fucked afterwards!"

She understood his sentiment but the words sounded a little harsh to her ears in the cold light of day. Was that all last night had been to him? A soulless fucking session? Something about that didn't sit right with her and judging by the way his face had clouded over it wasn't sitting so well with Sam either.

In an attempt to change the subject she ran her fingers through his tousled hair before grabbing it tightly and pulling his face down to hers for a kiss. As always, his full lips felt awesome, and as she probed his mouth open with her tongue she tasted-

_Shit! Mint! _He'd got up and brushed his teeth and she still had musty morning breath! She quickly pulled away and covered her mouth. "I have musty morning breath!"

He shrugged. "It wasn't all that bad. In fact. It kinda tasted like my cum. Hella sexy!"

She shook her head but he continued to move closer. "Besides..." He brought his mouth down to hers and their tongues fought together for a hot minute until the need for air became their greatest concern. "Now you're all minty too."  
She chuckled and nudged him. "Sam Evans, you're a hot mess!"

"I know. But you love it!"

She stared into his rapidly darkening eyes. "Yeah, I guess I do."

That weird expression was back in his eyes again. Before she could question it he was kissing her. But this kiss was different. Softer, less invasive yet somehow far more intimate. Her brain struggled to find the word to describe it. Tender? Yes, that was it. But since when the hell did Sam Evans become tender? She couldn't follow that thought because Sam was gently stroking her curves beneath the sheet, distracting her. Even more distracting was the feel of his face buried in her neck while Sam junior decided to make an appearance of his own, pressing into her side with his own unique brand of 'good morning'.

"Sam. I don't think I can just yet. Maybe after a hot shower and an hour or so-"

"Shhhh. I know." He pushed her gently onto her belly while easing himself behind her. She loved the feel of his weight on top of her but Sam was still careful not to squash her by taking some of his weight on his forearms. Leaning forward for as much skin contact as possible he pressed his hips onto the curve of her ass, sighing contentedly as his cock rested in the groove between her cheeks. "Baby you feel so good" he breathed as he began to move his hips, slowly rubbing his length along the crease of her ass, exciting them both. He kissed and licked the bruise which was forming between her shoulder blades from where he had bitten her while they had fucked against the couch. She then turned her face to the side so that he could kiss her face and her lips. He smiled into her eyes and was overwhelmed by how beautiful they were. "You're amazing Cedes!" They were both shocked at the way his voice cracked with emotion as he said it.

"You're awesome too" she said, quickly covering the moment by slightly raising her hips as he ground against her faster and faster, his breathing getting heavier and his face turning red with the effort. His hands reached underneath her to her breasts and she moaned as he cupped, caressed and rolled the still sensitive nipples in between his fingertips. As he felt himself nearing the end he reached down with one hand, flicking the nub of her clit at couple of times, knowing that's all it would take to set her off in her hypersensitive state. Her cry of release made him grunt out his own, unleashing himself onto her lower back until he was empty.

He quickly grabbed a Kleenex and cleaned her up kissing his way down her spine one final time before collapsing on his back next to her. He smiled into her tired face. "Thankyou."

She nodded, not needing to say a thing. She wasn't overly keen on him coming on her but she preferred it to trying to fuck his huge cock while she was still swollen and hypersensitive. Sam knew this kind of stuff about her. Sam knew things that nobody else did. Sam _understood _things that nobody else did. He stroked her face again and sensed that his stare was making her uncomfortable.

"How long are you staying this time?"

"Three days."

She nodded sadly, missing him already. "Then do you head straight back to Lima?"

"I'm not going back to Lima."

"Huh?"

"I got a job in New York with Marvel. I've already moved into an apartment in Manhatten. When i leave here i'm going straight there."

For some reason it made her feel annoyed but she hid it with a smile. "Wow! Marvel! I'm really happy for you! I know it's what you always wanted."

Sam nodded and lay on his back, silently staring at the ceiling, willing the words he needed to say to come out of his mouth. "Come with me."

His voice was so quiet she barely heard him. "What?"

He turned his head to face her. "Come with me. To New York."

"What the hell are you talking about Sam?"

"I'm talking about us. I want you with me. It won't be the same without you."

She scoffed. "You'll manage. You always do!"

"I know. But I don't want to manage. I want to live it properly. And I want to live it properly with you."

She raised herself up on one elbow and frowned at him. "Sam, what the _hell_ are you talking about all of a sudden?"

His voice began to rise in frustrated anger. "I love you dammit!"

Her mouth hung open but no sound came out. She was still stuck on his admission of _love. _Sam took it as a sign to continue. "Whenever we try to move on with other people we always find our way back to each other. Maybe we should just quit fooling ourselves and go straight to the inevitable end."

"Look, I don't think-"

"No! I need you to think. Have you ever wondered why we keep ending up in each other's beds? Why we can't get satisfaction from the touch of anyone else? Maybe fate has played a cruel game on us, I don't know. All I do know is that I'm sick of fighting it."

"But I have Cole!"

"No Mercedes. Cole has you! Have you ever wondered why you ended up with a married man?"

"He's separated-"

Sam shook his head in frustration. "He's unavailable! You're always going to keep finding people that don't require you to give 100% of your heart. And you know why? It's because you don't have 100% to give. Part of your heart belongs to _me_ and has done since high school!"

She couldn't believe his barefaced arrogance! "Sam-"

"Just shut the fuck up and listen Mercedes! Part of your heart belongs to me! You hear me? _I own it!_ The catch is, part of my heart belongs to you too. All I'm asking is that we put the pieces back together and try and work it out!"

_Better. But still not right._ She broke the eye contact and looked away and he knew that he was losing her.

He put his fingers to her chin to try and move her head to face him but she brushed him off. He could see her eyes filling with tears. It wasn't the way he had expected it to come out and now he was scared that he had gone too far and scared her off once and for all. "Mercedes? Please say something."

She took a shaky deep breath. "Why do you always have to try and ruin things?"

"I can't live a lie anymore. I can't let you keep breaking my heart."

Her response was a stony silence so he tried again. "Will you at least think about it? _Please?_"

She shut her eyes tight and rubbed her temple. "I'm sorry Sam…"

"What the hell does 'sorry' mean?"

"It means I-" She quickly pulled away from him and started to climb out of the bed. "I've gotta pee."

Sam made a leap for her to catch her arm before she moved out of reach but he was a fraction too late and all he could do was watch helplessly as she fled naked into the bathroom.

* * *

_What the fuck had just happened?_

Mercedes grabbed a large bath sheet and wrapped it around herself as she felt the sudden chill of the bathroom. She spied Mai's spare previously unopened toothbrush next to the basin and her legs gave way, causing her to slide down to the tiled floor as she choked back her sobs.

Who the fuck did he think he was, strutting into her life, derailing her relationship then claiming to love her! When they were sixteen they had thought they were in love, but that's all. After that, reality bit. And reality bites hard. She would never be able to keep a guy like Sam and he would eventually drive her to the brink of insanity.

And what kind of fool struts into someone's life and asks them to drop everything and move to the other side of the States with them? How _dare_ he even presume to think that kind of behavior is in any way acceptable! She was mad at him, fuming mad at him! And he was probably lying on her bed right now, stroking his dick and thinking about what food might be in the apartment.

She wanted to run out of the bathroom and tell him where to stick his stupid offer and his fake 'I love you'. She wanted to but she couldn't. Not because the whole idea wasn't crazy as shit, but because a very small part of her was actually considering it and she hated herself. Because if there was anyone on this planet who could make her drop her plans and follow him to the moon if necessary it was Sam Evans. The same way she knew that despite their fight, if she ever needed help or support he would drop everything and be there for her. You don't do that if you don't love someone, right?

So why all these years of seeing other people? They had ended for a valid reason. _But why can neither of you totally let go?_

As soon as she felt herself soften her anger returned. If he truly wanted her he would be banging on the other side of the door checking if she was alright.

"Cedes? Are you okay in there?"

_Right on fucking cue!_

Even through the door his voice sounded smug. "Cedes?"

"Fuck off!"

"Look baby, I'm sorry I just-"

She raised her hand to the door in the universal signal for 'Stop' even though he wouldn't be able to see it. "I don't want to hear it! You got what you came for last night so just fuck off out of my life like you always do!"

"But-"

"Quit hurting me Sam!" She felt the need to throw something and the nearest thing to hand was a glass tealight holder. "Why can't you just fucking _leave me alone_?" She hurled it as hard as she could and was satisfied as it smashed, not caring that Sam would be able to hear the sound og the glass and the sound of her sobs as she curled up next to the basin and cried until she fell into an exhausted doze.

When she woke up, she immediately felt bad for the way that she had shouted at Sam. She quickly gathered the broken pieces of glass together with a small towel before tucking her hair into a cap and standing under the shower, allowing the hot water to beat out the tension in her neck from sleeping in a weird position and the tension in her shoulders from the whole situation. When the hot water finally ran out, her face was less puffy and she was ready to face the world. While she had slept she had seen images of Sam's face and things had started to make sense. His jealousy, that stare, his sudden tenderness. Maybe he did in fact love her. And the worst part of all was that despite her denials, there was a part of her that had always loved him.

Sure she wasn't going to fly the length of America to be with him on a whim but they could at least talk about their feelings. Hell, the reason she had broken up with him in the first place was because she loved him!

She opened the bathroom door and immediately sensed something wrong.

The bed was made and there was no sign of him.

"Sam?" Her voice was hesitant. She knew the answer before even calling out to him and her voice rang through the empty apartment. She ran and checked all the rooms anyway, even Mai's but there was no sight of him. And no sign of his bags. It was as if he had never been there. Even the couch had been pushed back to its original location.

And then she saw it, Sam's distinctive scrawl on the sticky note on the table.

_Mercedes_

_You know I'm not good with writing and words but I'll try._

_I'm sorry. I had hoped your feelings were the same as mine but I was wrong. And as just like my impressions, my delivery and timing were pretty screwed up too. I'm not sorry that I said what I did because I truly mean it, but you wanting me to go after what I said broke my heart and hearing you cry like that completely that shattered the broken pieces. I can't believe I did that to you I really am truly sorry. I guess the dream I always secretly had about us was wrong. I could ask that we just go back to the way things were but being friends with you would never work because I would always be wanting more than that. So I guess this is the goodbye that we've been careful never to actually say._

_Just promise me you'll take care of that little piece of my heart that you hold because despite everything it's always yours._

_Sam_

He was gone. _Really gone._ She knew Sam and his impulsiveness. He wouldn't just be in some hotel down the road, he would be on the first flight out of there. She raced to her bedroom and dialed his number. As expected his cell was off.

At a complete loss on what to do with herself she curled up on the bed and once the residual scent of him on the pillow hit her nose she broke down completely with his crumpled note clutched to her chest.

After the longest time her eyes sprung open. Sure she had a life here but it was in limbo. She had just finished the album that she had been backing on and was waiting to sign a contract on the next one. But it wasn't yet signed…

And a life without Sam in it, however far in the background he may have been was no life at all. His words had scared her witht their honesty, but they had also rung true in a way that it was impossible for her to deny.

She knew exactly what she had to do.

It was as if someone was controlling her body. And it wasn't as if she hadn't done this once before.

The first thing she did was write a check to Mai for two months rent. Then she wrote a note to Cole to say that she hoped his son was well and she wasn't coming back. Then she Googled the next available flight to New York while throwing her things into her case. Having lived out of it for the recent part of her life it was surprisingly easy.

She didn't care that she had nowhere to stay in New York. She had spare cash to stay in a cheap hotel for the first few days. Plus she had more than enough contacts who offered her work if she was ever there again. She even had some old friends that she could look up.

And as for her parents, New York was closer to Ohio than LA so she'd be able to sell it to them eventually. It was all part and parcel of being a rolling stone. Something that Sam was determined to put an end to. And the most frightening part was that it didn't even bother her. She was tired of all the moving anyway.

As she wheeled her bag through the door her heart raced and she smiled. It may have seemed fucked up but she sure as hell knew that she was doing the right thing and it didn't even scare her.

As she locked the door and pushed her key back through the letterbox she silently squealed to herself before heading down the hall towards the elevator and the cab waiting to take her to the airport.

She even chuckled as she gave herself a pep talk that she knew she didn't really need.

_Mercedes Jones. Go get your man!_

* * *

Mercedes' delight at being able to purchase the last ticket on the plane rapidly diminished as quickly realized that it was right at the very back. Not only did those seats not recline, they were also directly in front of the bathrooms. And to top her list of woes, the male passenger in the seat next to her was tall, broad shouldered, long limbed and shooting her a dazzling smile as she approached the seat.

It was going to be a _very_ long flight.

She kissed her teeth as his smile turned to one of amuzement while lazily watched her struggle to put her bag into the overhead before finally moving to help her.

"Need a hand ma'am?"

She scowled but politely thanked him as she finally sat down.

"These seats really suck huh!"

She shrugged. "Yeah." Just her luck to be stuck next to a talker when all she wanted was to be left alone with her thoughts. An Ipod would have been really good right about now.

"I was booked on a later flight but I got some bad news and had to get away on the first flight."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He nodded to himself. "Yeah. So was I. But now things are suddenly looking up!"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat while trying to avoid his stare. "So, are you flying out for a holiday?"

Mercedes glared at him incredulously but bit her tongue. "I'm trying to fix a massive mistake that I've made before it's too late!"

He cocked his eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Sounds exciting! Care to share? I'm a good listener!"

Stared down at the way he had selfishly taken the entire armrest for himself and he clearly took her pause as a sign for him to continue talking. "Come on pretty lady! I'm-"

She finally snapped, pushing his arm off the armrest and quickly replacing it with hers. "You're obnoxious and arrogant and-"

"And sexy as fuck!"

Despite herself her lips pulled up into a grin. "Yeah, sexy as fuck."

He smiled back down at her. "You know you love it!"

She blushed. "Yeah, maybe I do."

Last second plane seats definitely suck.

He put his large pale hand over her smaller one on the armrest and linked the fingers together. "So I was thinking, once the seatbelt lights were off, maybe you would care to join me for our first ever foray into the mile high club?"

She smiled and fought the shiver that ran through her soul at the feel of his calloused hand over hers. "Yeah, I guess we could get in there first before they get all nasty!"

The plane began to taxi along the runway and Mercedes leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"So what made you change your mind?" He asked her seriously.

She stayed unmoving for a moment before finally turning to face Sam. "I didn't change my mind. You just didn't hang around long enough to get my answer. I needed a little bit of space and a long hot shower to realize that I love you too. Unfortunately for me, you and your hot head had already left by the time I came out!"

"I'm sorry."

She stared up into his rapidly darkening green eyes and saw that he truly was and she couldn't stay mad at him. "We still have a lot of stuff to talk about though."

"I know. We'll take this one day at a time, I promise." He leaned over her and kissed her very softly before staring into her eyes with that expression that she had now come to recognize as total love and adoration. "So how can I make it up to you?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Suggest something. Surprise me!"

Sam thought for a moment then whispered something in her ear, his eyes brightening with delight as she simultaneously blushed, bit her bottom lip and choked.

"I don't think there's enough room in the bathroom for us to achieve _that_!"

He smirked down at her. "Oh I know. I was thinking more like 10 seconds after we get into our apartment in New York."

"_Our apartment?"_

"You like?"

"Still getting used to the idea."

"Just think of all the things we can get up to behind closed doors!" He winked seductively at her.

"Sam! You know we'll never get any friends to come over!"

"Why not?"

"Because they'll know that within days we'll have fucked on top of and against every unmovable surface in there."

He shrugged. "That's true. But I have Chlorox wipes. Besides, all I can think of right now is that I can't wait to get started!" He pulled her close and instead of pulling her in for a kiss, immediately captured her bottom lip in his teeth, causing her to moan before fighting for dominance of his tongue in her mouth and kissing the breath out of her. Before she had a chance to recover he had taken his blanket and pulled it over both their laps. They had a hell of a lot of stuff to discuss, but right now, for the next 5 hours of the flight, words were not going to be a priority…

THE END


End file.
